Verandah — Restaurant in Houston

Verandah - Progressive Indian Cuisine on 3300 Kirby Drive welcomed me getting out of the nip in the January air and my first reaction was admiration for the beautiful appointed interiors, the potpourri scented foliage , the happy Holly, bells and twinkling lights that reminded me of the past Christmas season .Luxurious Ivory shaded Italian leather sofas flanked the passage to the anexxe on the left that offered a generous view though the floor to ceiling window panes. The winter sun offered a mellow light that plays beautifully on the striking mural of the Tandav which is a divine dance performed by Lord Shiva revered in Hinduism. The tasteful decor, artifacts and plush seating leads you in till the massive mural on the left wall catches your eye. The thoughtful artistic creations in every corner of the restaurant kept me giddy in anticipation of the food that was to follow. Classically trained Chef Sunil's labor of love lived up to every expectation of the best that Indian cuisine has to offer in terms of aromas, tastes and flavors that offer a window into the culinary kaleidoscope of the ancient subcontinent .The entire experience with the menu , the location, the decor , the innovative and progressive food reminded me of the calibre of Per Se, on 10 Columbus Circle in New York. The first course was the superbly executed, smoked kabab platter served under a glass cloche that opened with wafts of smoke to reveal morsels of succulent Chicken kabab, tender lamb seekh and plump Jumbo Prawns. The aroma of the freshly baked garlic Naan bread begged for attention. The absolute ease with which that tender Naan tore away was an indication that Chef Sunil has worked through iterations of recipes combining just the right chew, even crumb and perfect crackle of the speckled crust to come up with this stunner of a divine bread. That Naan kept aching for the juices that dripped off the fresh kababs, pooling with the squeeze of yellow lime over the sweet chili dressed peppery arugula , baby spinach , anthocyanins and a few from the pungent brassica family. The airy Naan bread readily soaked up meat drippings and what an explosion of flavors it was. Buckhead meats who are the purveyors for the tender lamb that went into making the seekh kabab got their act right. The U 13 shrimp were perfect. The sweetness and juciness of the shellfish matched the combination of spices that marinated it. The chicken tikka was absolutely succulent and tender. Each component of this dish stood tall on its own and together were perfect. The smooth green chutney served as a perfect foil for each of the kababs . The second course was the Chicken Biryani.The waitress presented the biryani served under a beautiful crust of rich dough. She expertly cut along the edges of the crust and the wafts of aromats filled the air with notes of Vetiver, Rose and sweet cardamom. The first impression was great as I munched on the crust while waiting for the hot steam to dissipate from the biryani. The raita that sat in squared ramekin was smooth and creamy with the warm flavours of cumin, Cilantro and the sweetness of enrobed cucumber. The first spoon full of white rice that was crisscrossed with bright saffron was a revelation. The aroma of cinnamon, cloves, star anise, nutmeg and fennel with the nutty sweetness of ghee made the rice surreal. A gentle push to the bottom of the biryani handi ; which is the name for the shallow earthenware crockpot, brought up the super tender and flavourful chicken.The light hand on the spices and the perfect balance of flavours makes this biryani as close to perfection as can be. This style of Biryani is highly refined and harks back to the hallowed days of Dum Pukht under the mentoring of Padma Shri Master Chef Imtiaz Qureshi where Chef Sunil trained in the venerable city of Hyderabad in the twilight years of the past century. The next course was the Laccha...

We visited Veranda to celebrate our daughter’s 7-month birthday, hoping for a memorable dining experience at a chef-run restaurant. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a major letdown in terms of both food and hospitality.

We were initially impressed by the warm welcome—the chef herself greeted us and led us to our table, which set high expectations. I ordered a drink called Aasmani Firdaus (described as a lemony blue lagoon), but it turned out to be overwhelmingly sugary with no hint of tang. I politely informed the chef and asked if I could replace it with another drink. She declined, saying it was made specifically for me, but offered to add more lemon juice instead. When she returned it, the flavor was still the same—cloyingly sweet. I mentioned this to her, but she said nothing and moved on, which felt dismissive and lacking in basic hospitality.

As for the food, it was far from what one would expect from a chef-curated menu. We started with the Beetroot Galouti, which was excessively salty. The Tandoori Platter also disappointed—especially the shrimp, which were again too salty. For mains, we ordered Taiwala Chicken and Lamb Rogan Josh. The chicken tasted as if it had just been tossed into pre-made gravy, lacking depth or cohesion. The Methi Paneer Kofta was mediocre at best.

The biggest disappointment came at the end—the dessert. We ordered Ghevar, which took nearly 20 minutes to arrive. When it did, it was hard, chewy, and tasted stale—nowhere near the authentic texture. I’ve had far better Ghevar at local places like Nirmanz’s, which are much closer to what you’d find in India.

To make matters worse, the entire experience cost us $247 which felt like a complete waste. For that amount, we could have enjoyed great food and better service at two or three regular restaurants.

Sadly, Veranda did not live up to the hype or price. A special occasion turned into a disappointing evening.

Responding to Owner’s Comment

When I first mentioned that the drink was still not good—even after adding lemon—you ignored my concern instead of addressing it properly. This reflects poorly on how guest feedback is handled. If I felt my input would be dismissed, there was no point in continuing the conversation. My time and energy deserve more respect. Yes, my husband asked for salt for his non-vegetarian dish, which is entirely separate from my comment about the Beetroot Galouti. We are both entitled to our taste preferences, and one has nothing to do with the other. The incident you described simply did not happen. It seems you respond to negative reviews with similar fabricated claims, which raises doubts about the credibility of your responses across the board. Rather than deflect criticism, I suggest focusing on improving your service and food quality. Making up stories to undermine genuine feedback is not a sustainable approach. Accept criticism with an OPEN MIND—IT WILL BENEFIT YOUR RESTAURANT MORE THAN...

I really wanted to love this restaurant since I had heard it was good and I love Indian food. But unfortunately, the service was an absolute disaster, and it ruined the entire experience. Upon arrival we ordered cocktails. The server had a difficult time describing the available options. My husband and brother-in-law ordered the Masala Chai Bourbon. The drink literally tasted like watered down milk with no bourbon. It was pretty awful, and they didn’t drink more than two sips. When we asked if they could change it for something else, the server said yes but we would have to pay for both drinks. I was shocked. Usually when you spend over $400 for fine dining, you don’t get that sort of a response. So, they pretty much lost me right there. It seems short sighted to lose a customer over a $12 drink.

Anyway, eventually the food made it to us - after a long wait to order. The food was good. I wouldn’t say it was great, but it was good. We started with the samosas which we really liked. We had the Dal, Palak Paneer, Chicken Tikka, Lamb Rogan Josh and a Goat dish that was way too spicy to eat (and we like spice).

Prior to our food arriving, I ordered a bottle of champagne, but we waited and waited, and the champagne did not arrive. I tried flagging down a server multiple times because I thought they had forgotten but I could not get anyone's attention. When we were wrapping up our meal, the server arrived with two bottles of champagne. Neither were the bottle I had ordered because they were out.... which happens, so no big deal. But why would you offer me these options at the end of our dinner?!? It took her more than 30 minutes to dig up these two bottles. Like I said - the service was a disaster.

At the end, the owner came to ask how our meal was. I kindly explained everything that happened. I honestly tried to put a positive spin on it and share it as feedback for an opportunity to improve. Instead of simply apologizing, he started making excuses about how hard it is to get wine due to supply chain issues. He got very defensive. I also don’t think he believed me that they would not replace the cocktail. He told me I should have asked for a manager. Seriously? Why did you ask how our dinner was if you did not really want to know? In the end, he brought my husband and glass of a lovely bourbon for him to share (yes, share) with my brother-in-law.

Oh, and by the way - they automatically applied a 20% tip and ask for additional gratuity on the receipt. I expect automatic gratuity for parties of 6 or more but apparently here they apply that to all bills. I assume that they do that because they know the service is not good, so they force the tip on you.

Overall, the food was good but not worth all the drama with the service. I will stick with Kiran’s where the food and drinks are consistently excellent, and the...